Speaker: Trump Dividend Needs Approval 09/14 06:33

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's proposal to send $5,000 to every 
American adult if his Republican Party maintains control of the House and 
Senate in the November election needs congressional approval, House Speaker 
Mike Johnson said Sunday, while pledging to try to make it happen.

   Trump made the unusual pitch at the party's midterm convention in Dallas 
last week, promising a "Trump Dividend" if voters keep the GOP in power on 
Capitol Hill. The president later told CBS News Texas that he did not think 
Congress would need to authorize the payments, though he did not specify how he 
could spend more than $1 trillion without lawmakers' authorization.

   But Johnson, R-La., said congressional approval is needed. "I would assume, 
yes, he'd need Congress to act, and that's a creative idea," he said.

   A few hours later, Trump said he would deliver on his promise. "The 5,000's 
going to happen, 100%," he told reporters before boarding Air Force One in 
Ireland, where he attended a pro golf tournament at his resort.

   Johnson, meanwhile, said he would work to get Trump's proposal through 
Congress despite a small Republican margin.

   "He's the big ideas president. We're going to try to implement everything we 
can," he said. "I commit that Congress will work through it and find consensus 
on that like they have to do everything else."

   The dubious election-year gambit could cost more than $1 trillion, putting 
further strains on the country's nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and 
exacerbating concerns of inflation. The economy is confronted by persistent 
inflation and increasing interest rates, a tough combination for governing 
Republicans as they seek to hold on to control of Congress.

   The president argues that payments would be possible because of the strong 
economy, but consumer sentiment is weak as gasoline prices rise because of the 
war with Iran and wages struggle to keep pace with inflation.

   Trump told reporters earlier Sunday that the payments would be "easy enough" 
because the United States has a strong economy.

   "We can easily handle that because we're taking in so much money," he said. 
"We've never done better."

   Just one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the 
presidency, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for 
Public Affairs Research. That compares with 37% in June and 42% who approved of 
his work when he took office. Majorities also disapprove of his handling of the 
economy and immigration, issues that were central to Trump's election in 2024.

   On Sunday, Trump said the gas price will "drop like a rock" but indicated no 
deal any time soon with Iran to end the conflicts and reopen the Strait of 
Hormuz.